Cloth ing-protector



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. L. DARBY. CLOTHING PROTECTOR.

No. 462,965. Patented Nov. 1o. 1891.

WITNESSES 'x' IJV VEA/TOR 5MM? M7 f vn: Noms paens co., nuurumraa, wnmamn. n. c.

(No Model.) j 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. L. DARBY.

v-GLO'ITHING PROTECTOR.

' No. 462,965. Patented Nov`b10,1891.

WITNESSES I JV T/EJV' TUR 'me News arias co., Primo-uma.. wnsmNcToN, n. c.

UNrTED STATES i n'rnNr rrrcn.

CATIIARINE I.. DARBY, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

CLOTHING-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,965, dated November 10, 1891.

Application filed February 2, 1891. Serial No. 379,870. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern/ Be it known that I, CATHAniNE L. DARBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothing-Protectors3 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and comfortable article to be worn by ladies as a protector for underclothing, bedclothiug, &c.

It is of course well understood that at certain periods it is necessary for ladies to take great pains to protect their clothing, and that for this purpose napkins, absorbentpads, and various other devices are worn. IVith .the

, greatest care, however, as these devices have heretofore been constructed it is not infrequent that in moving about, and also while sleeping, the clot-hing becomes soiled and not infrequently ruined by staining.

In order to wholly avoid accidentsof this sort, and thereby give tothe wearer alfeeling of perfect safety at allitimes, I have devised the novel protector which I will now describe, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

in Which- Figure l is an elevation of my novel prorector complete; Fig. 2, a section on the line a: o: in Figil; and Fig. 3 is a diagram on a reduced scale, showing the shape of the single piece of cloth from which the body portion of the protector is made.

l denotes the body portion, which may be made of any suitable water-proof materialas, for instance, light rubber cloth or oiled silk,.0r muslin. the grade of rubber cloth commonly known as stockinet rubber cloth, which is used so extensively in the manufacture of the better grade under-arm shields. The body portion is made large enough so as to pass freely over the hips, and in use is closed tightly, except at the waist, where it is secured by asuitable string or band 2. (See dotted lines, Fig. l.) This string or band may be run into the top of the body portion itself, or may be held by I preferably, however, use

loops 3, as shown in the drawings. 4. denotes strongelastic bands at the leg-openings, which in use close tightly about the thighs.

It will of course be understood that it is absolutely essential that the body portion should be full between the legs, and that that portion should be wholly free from seams. I therefore cutout the pieces of material from 6o which the protectors are made to substantially the form illustrated in Fig. 3, the portions marked a a being at the waist when the protector is made up, and the portions marked b b being joined together preferably by ce- 6 5 mented seams at the side. At opposite sides of the piece the Inaterialis cut away, as atc c, leaving rounded openings, which, when the sides are joined together, constitute leg-openings, around which the strong elastic leg-bands 7o 4 are firmly attached, preferably b ycementin g. The result is that in the completed protector there is a fullness, as at 5, between the legbands. At the top of the body portion at front and back I place straps 6, (see dotted lines, Fig. l, also shown in section in Fig. 2,) which are preferably provided with buckles, and which may or may not be made elastic. These straps constitute the support for the napkin 7.

In practice I preferably use an endless napkin, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, which may be made wide enough to form two or more folds, as may be preferred. It' will be seen that my novel protector provides a perfect safeguard 8 5 against soiling the clothing and renders it practically impossible for accidents to happen. The napkin may be adjusted to the required tightness by means of straps (5. The fullness at 5 is ample to receive the napkin 9c without the slightest inconvenience to the wearer. It should be noticed, furthermore, that at each end of fullness 5 the material of the body portion is drawn up close to the trunk of the wearer by the legbands, so that even should the napkin become saturated the water-probf character ofthe body portion and the special manner in which the protector is made and held in place insure practically absolute protection tothe clot-hing of the wearer. roo

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. A clothing-protector the body portion of which is made from a single piece 0f waterproof material secured together by seams at thel sides, substantially as described and shown, said protector being provided With legopenings having elastic bands 4, which hold the protector tightlyabout thethighs, leaving I a fullness 5 between said leg-bands and being provided at front and back With straps G for the attachment of the napkin. l 2. A clothing-protector the body portion of l I 1 which consists of a piece of Water-proof material having cut-away portions at opposite sides to form leg-openings, said sides being joined together, as described, elastic bands 4t about the leg-openings, `which close the material tightly about the thighs, le'avinga full-A CATIIARINE L. DARBY;

Witnesses:

CHARLEs S. DARBY, J r., WILLIAM R. DARBY. 

